Showing 101 - 110 of 3,757
A digital disaster
Oped, Editorial, Published on 19/01/2024
» The government seems undaunted by the reservations about its flagship 10,000-baht digital wallet scheme expressed by a panel under the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) and the Council of State.
Don't rely on last year's trends for global economy
Oped, Published on 16/01/2024
» Behavioural economists have popularised the term "recency bias" to describe our tendency to be disproportionately influenced by the latest events compared to earlier ones. Could this cognitive phenomenon explain why numerous analysts have a rather optimistic tilt for the world economy in 2024? Or are there really positive trends counterbalancing the obvious and mounting challenges to global growth?
Red Sea raids push US and allies to crunch point
News, Peter Apps, Published on 15/01/2024
» When the United States and 11 allies published a joint statement last week calling for an end to Houthi attacks from Yemen on Red Sea shipping, they hoped the implicit threat of force might at least reduce the intensity of fire on foreign vessels.
Why Srettha should risk it all for Pita
News, Published on 15/01/2024
» As Charles E Weller once wrote, "Now is the time for all good men to come to the aid of their country". While the quote's original purpose was just a typing exercise, it rings true on occasion, and especially now at a critical crossroads in Thailand's fledgling semi-democracy. Twin trials await former Move Forward Party (MFP) prime ministerial candidate Pita Limjaroenrat later this month, both in the Constitutional Court, a judicial forum known for its past crippling of Thailand's democratic opposition.
I hoped to vote for a united Taiwan
Oped, Published on 13/01/2024
» I'm 72 years old, but recently I made a rookie mistake. I believed that Taiwanese politicians, when they signed an agreement, would honour that agreement and seek unity.
Deja vu as charter court weighs MFP ban
Oped, Thitinan Pongsudhirak, Published on 12/01/2024
» It is déjà vu in Thai politics this month as Thailand's biggest elected political party and its leader face Constitutional Court verdicts that could lead to a familiar dissolution and ban. At issue is the political future of Pita Limjaroenrat and the fate of the Move Forward Party (MFP), which he led to a stunning victory at the election last May. However the verdicts come out, they might be perceived by pundits as decided by the political winds of the day.
Schrödinger's Island: Taiwan election 2024
Oped, Gwynne Dyer, Published on 12/01/2024
» Taiwan's fate is as unknowable as usual, even though we know who the next president will be. The Democratic Progressive Party's (DPP) William Lai, vice-president under outgoing President Tsai Ing-Wen, will almost certainly win the election tomorrow because the two opposition parties failed to agree on a joint candidate and will split the slightly-less-anti-China vote between them.
Live and let live
News, Editorial, Published on 11/01/2024
» By throwing cold water on the Move Forward Party's (MFP) call for a live broadcast of the second reading of the 3.48-trillion-baht budget bill, the Srettha Thavisin government shows it has scant regard for transparency regarding such crucial matters.
Meaningful policy on Myanmar needed
News, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 09/01/2024
» The fall of Laukkai in Myanmar's Kokang Self-Administered Zone to rebel forces is one of the most significant developments in the conflict in Myanmar since the coup took place in 2021. Why? It shows the State Administration Council's (SAC) inability to protect its territory from the Three Brotherhood Alliance, which launched a fierce offensive dubbed "Operation 1027" at the end of October last year, threatening the junta's hold on the northern Shan state, which borders China, and other remote areas in the region.
Israel held hostage -- and Joe Biden, too
Oped, Gwynne Dyer, Published on 06/01/2024
» Israel is withdrawing some troops from Gaza because the reservists who were called up for the fighting amount to 10%–15% of the country's workforce and the economy is showing the strain. But "nobody is talking about doves of peace flying", said a senior Israeli official. The intense fighting in Gaza will continue "for six months at least".